Below this
page are 163 pictures more from 2011!

New
series: Girls and women from 1 till 85? in Myanmar 2011

This has been my second visit to Myanmar. This time I went from the South (Mawlamyne)
to the capital (Yangon). Then along the coast (Ngwe Saung Beach) all up to
the North-West (Mrauk-U and Chin villages). Most places especially the South
and the North-West get only a few tourists and are not contaminated by the
tourists as in so many other Asian countries.

I am happy that
I could take
many pictures of these natural girls and woman.

I noticed
also a strong sisterhood between them. They share, support, and help
each other.

They look to
enjoy fully their womanhood as caring and nourishing mothers. Everywhere
happy kids playing around them.

Of course
this all shines in their natural beauty. This is real beauty, not the
kind of artificial beauty with layers of make-up or ‘photo shopped’ for
endless perfect face advertisements in the glossy Western magazines.
(The sad joke: all these expensive crèmes do not help!)

I love also
their colorful dresses, so beautiful and graceful.

If you look
deep into the eyes of these girls and women, you can see a quality of
pureness and innocence. Here they touch the heavens, immersed in their
devotion to the Buddha. This expresses itself as joy. The many temples
everywhere indicate, in an otherworldly way, this connection to the
divine also.

As far as I
could see, there has been, at these places in the North, no TV or
Internet (or probably not even newspapers). Most of these women will
have no idea of all the madness we are daily confronted with: our fear
installing news and all the endless advertisements in the so called
developed nations. (Developed to consumer robots, what a sad
joke!)

Crime must be
non existent here. Crime can’t happen in this energy of oneness and
kindness. Out of this energy you want to share and give, not to steal or
have at the expenses of others. In restaurants I have been offered
drinks etc and kids in little villages came to give me flowers. Not in
any way they tried to get money from me or cheat me, as in their
neighbor India is happening
all the time.

Several times I had the feeling how far away, in the so called developed
nations, have we gone from this natural, simple and happy way of living.
These Burmese girls and women in the North, live in harmony with the earth
and all the necessary resources. In their environment is bamboo to build a
house, the river for easy transport, washing, water and fishing, and fertile
land to cultivate on and so on.

After all these words I hope that the photos will speak for themselves. These
girls and women have touched my heart and I carry their energy
still with me. I hope they will touch your heart also with their natural
beauty and kindness.

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